BMW i8 won't spawn an 'M' version

The new BMW i8 – revealed this week at the Frankfurt Motor Show – won’t spawn an M Performance version says BMW boss.

No M version for the BMW i8 (pictured) but does that mean no M8?

[nggallery id=1638 template=customlinks]

This week’s Frankfurt Motor Show saw the public debut of the production version of the BMW i8, and it does look a convincing car.

It may house a very modest 1.5 litre 3-cylinder engine under the skin, but that little 3-pot engine manages to deliver a very healthy 231bhp and 236lb/ft of torque.

But coupled to the 1.5 litre ICE – as this is a BMW i car – is an electric motor which adds a thumping great lump of extra torque – 184lb/ft available from the off – and 131bhp. Combined, that gives the i8 performance that is more than adequate with 62mph in 4.5 seconds and 155mph.

But this is BMW, so it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to thing in terms of an M version of the i8 as a proper halo, but a BMW boss – Cypselus von Frankenberg (now there’s a name) says it won’t happen.

He said:

I don’t think that it would make sense to mix these two sub-brands in one car. We have the Ms, we have the i, and we have the BMW, the core brand.

But is that as clear cut as it sounds? Certainly it’s fairy unequivocal in terms of the i8 as it stands. But what if BMW took the i8 a bit sideways.

What if BMW decided the platform for the i8 lent itself to development in to a proper performance BMW with a proper BMW iCE engine instead of the petrol hybrid gubbins. Would the 4.4 litre twin turbo V8 from the M6 and M5 fit? Probably not. But what about the little 1.5 litre 3-pot at the back and another at the front? Daft? Probably.

If it did, a BMW M8 – with the low weight of the i8 – could be a proper BMW Supercar with stunning performance and looks.

But a BMW M8 is probably just a dream